The vagina has been the most obsessed-over body part since apes began to walk upright.
From Goya and Courbet to O’Keefe, people have found ways to celebrate vaginas in art. But recently, due to porn and plastic surgery, vaginas have been objectified and face their own standards of beauty.
Linisa George writes: “I remember having one guy remark to me that he thought ‘vaginas’ were the ugliest thing ever.” The same kind of vagina that provided the passage to create you? The same kind of vagina that you came from? The same vagina that you pull hair and teeth to get inside of? That kind of vagina?”
Vaginas are like Britney Spears. They’re loved, but simultaneously criticized and disempowered through male discourse, which ends up infiltrating general conversation and norms.
Artists, however, have always celebrated the power vaginas have – their power over men and mentality, their critical role in evolution and life, and their allure.
In one Sex and the City episode entitled The Power of Female Sex, an artist tells Charlotte: “The canvasses you’re about to see are what I consider to be the apotheosis of every great idea I’ve ever had. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to pure, universal God force – the [vagina]. They’re … the most powerful force in the universe. The source of all life and pleasure and beauty.”
In an effort to reclaim and redefine how vaginas are conceived, British artist Jamie McCartney has created The Great Wall of Vagina, which has also been described as the Vagina Monologues of Sculpture.
The wall is 9 meters long and consists of 400 plaster cast vulvas made from women between the ages of 18 to 76. The idea is to use spectacle and humor to grab attention, and then educate the masses on what women really look like, instead of what they’re supposed to look like.
The horrifyingly quick increase in vaginoplasty is indicative of the fact that many women feel ashamed about their vaginas. But the truth is, vaginas are like women’s faces – they’re as different and unique…but hidden.
The vagina, whether tight or loose, wrinkly or smooth, hairy or naked, is symbolic. It’s a symbol of power that can render men weak at the knees; it’s an idea that controls men’s thoughts and gives them validation.
Vaginas, inherently because of their structure, are embracing and accepting – as women should be of themselves. Plastic surgery only re-sculpts the external –it’s a fix, but not a cure. The underlying issue is mental.
We, at Maxim Hygiene, encourage you to accept yourself, your body, and your vagina the way it is. Protect it and your mentality by celebrating its difference. Take a picture or a mirror and find the art in your skin – find the inspiration and the unique allure that men and women throughout history have been attempting to replicate. And always, keep it Soft, Safe and Natural with Maxim Organic and Natural Chlorine Free Cotton Tampons and Pads!
Follow us this month in celebrating the Vagina and all the female glory surrounding it, as we get closer to the very special day we talked about in our last post – V-Day!